Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

RoastedRedPepperandTomatoSoup

With an abundance of fresh produce available this time of year why not roast your vegetables! Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in vegetables and the vegetables have a more concentrated flavor. Roasting vegetables is super easy and the perfect way to prepare farm fresh vegetables. Serve Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with the classic grilled cheese sandwich or my new favorite, grilled cheese croutons.

TwoKitchenTips

This post also contains two additional “recipes” or “kitchen tips.” The first kitchen tip is; how to roast tomatoes and peppers. A very easy process that adds so much flavor and depth to all vegetables. Roasted vegetables add a distinct flavor to everything they’re added too. If you’re never roasted vegetables before I highly recommend it. Head to your nearest farm market or local farm pick up as many vegetables as you can carry, bring them home and let the roasting begin.

KitchenTip#2

How to make grilled cheese croutons is the second recipe. Making grilled cheese croutons are super simple. All you have to do is make a grilled cheese sandwich and them cut the sandwich into cubes and 1,2,3 you have croutons. At least that’s how I go about making then. I can’t believe I never thought of it sooner. But better late than never, right!

RoastedRedPepperandTomatoSoupIngredients

6 mediumsweet red peppers, roasted and chopped

4 mediumtomatoes, roasted, peeled and chopped

2 mediumcarrots, peeled and chopped

1 mediumonion, chopped

2 ribscelery, chopped

4 clovesgarlic, minced

2 tablespoonsolive oil

2 (32 oz) containerschicken broth

4 teaspoonssugar

1/2 teaspoonsalt

1/2 teaspooncurry power

1/2 teaspoondried thyme

1/2 teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoonpepper

1/4 teaspooncayenne pepper

Cooking Directions

In a dutch oven or soup kettle, saute’ carrots, onions, celery and garlic in oil until veggies are tender. Add roasted peppers and tomatoes. Stir for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth; stir in sugar, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Puree mixture in small batches in a blender or use an immersion blender. Blend ingredients together well.

Cut peppers in half, remove stem, seeds and membranes. Place cut side down in shallow baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in a 450º oven for about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Transfer peppers to a brown paper bag, fold the top of the bag closed. Let steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove peppers from bag, peel off charred skins.

Slice or chop peppers and use in your favorite recipes. Store in a large glass jar or a clean jelly jar works great too. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to peppers in jar. Cover with tight fitting lid. Store in refrigerator.

HowtoRoastTomatoesintheOven

Ingredients

4 to 6 tomatoes

1/4 cupolive oil

1 clovegarlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 springsfresh thyme and/or rosemary

sea salt and pepperto taste

Preheat oven to 325º Pour olive oil into a shallow baking dish. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cut tomatoes in half horizontally, use a sharp knife to remove stem and seeds.Toss tomatoes with oil and seasonings, lay cut side down in dish.

Bake 2 hours or until tomatoes are completely soft and wilted. Remove skins if desired, they should slip right off, slice or chop and use in your favorite recipes.

Store tomatoes in a large glass jar or a clean jelly jar works great too. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to tomatoes in jar. Cover with tight fitting lid, store in refrigerator.

GrilledCheeseCroutons

Ingredients

2 tablespoonsbutter, room temperature

4 slicesbread

6 ozshredded cheese, room temperature

Cooking Directions

Heat skillet over medium heat. Completely butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice of bread in the pan, buttered side down. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Top with remaining slice of bread, buttered side up. Turn the heat down slightly. Cook until golden brown 2 to 4 minutes, flip bread over, cook until golden brown on the other side 2 to 4 minutes.

Hi~ Living in Northern WI we are still waiting for Summer to get here:) It has been in low 50's at night and high 70's during the day so I have been eating soup all summer…which I love~ I have never made this soup in the crock pot, but I have many other soups, such as Squash Soup. Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks for your wonderful comments:) See you next time~Lynn

I could go for a cup of this soup right now. It's August but it feels like fall here. Thanks for the roasting lesson. I am a real food fanatic, but my cooking skills are pretty basic. I appreciate all the help I can get. Have you ever tried making this soup in a crock pot? I wonder how it would work. Thanks so much for sharing this with the Get Fit Friday hop. I'm sure our readers will love this recipe. You always have such fantastic recipes!

Yum!! I love roasting peppers and chiles in the oven! Lately I've been roasting a lot of hatch chiles..yup…it's that season. Hooray! Gorgeous color and pictures. I like how you think..it would be marvelous with a grilled cheese sandwich 😉

I just commented on another blog that I think roasting is the best thing a person can do to a vegetable. I especially like roasted peppers. And especially red ones. This is a beautiful soup, Lynn. I'm not normally a soup kinda girl, but a bowl like this can turn me around!Thank you for linking!

Hi Michelle~ Thanks for stopping and you are right, the best thing you can do for any vegetable is roast it:) Living up north, where it's cold, you just become a soup kinda girl:) lol See you next time at See Ya in the Gumbo!